WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chapelwaite Season 1, Episode 9, "The Gathering Dark," which aired Sunday October 24th on Epix.
Throughout Chapelwaite, the rift between Loa Boone and her father Charles has been a driving force in the narrative. Her grief over her mother's death and his inability to handle that grief, due in part to the increasing influence of the Boone family curse, led Loa to agree to become a vampire. While Loa proudly declared herself loyal to her new family at first, she has still been acting in what she believes are her father and her siblings' best interests. In “The Gathering Dark,” the penultimate episode of Chapelwaite, Loa is celebrated as a hero by Jakub and the Promised cult because she delivers De Vermis Mysteriis to them. However, as she begins to learn more about Jakub’s true plans, Loa seems to have doubts about her alliance with the vampires.
At the beginning of the series, Loa refuses to speak in the wake of her mother's death. Even when she breaks her silence, she still feels like her voice is not heard, especially when her concerns about her father's mental state are repeatedly ignored even after he almost accidentally strikes her with an axe. Stephen Boone successfully manipulates Loa into becoming a vampire by validating both her grief and her worries about her father. He dangles false promises of a reunion with her mother and protection for her siblings to further cement her choice.
However, Stephen and Phillip Boone prove to be one of the weaker factions on Chapelwaite when they attempt to attack Charles Boone and his allies to retrieve the book, and Phillip is killed in the battle. Loa breaks off from Stephen Boone and strikes up a bargain with Jakub instead. She convinces her brother Tane to get her De Vermis Mysteriis, and in exchange, Jakub calls off the attack on Chapelwaite and spares her living family members. After she gives Jakub the book, he commands his followers to praise her and treats her like a trusted ally.
However, after they arrive at Jerusalem's Lot, it becomes abundantly clear how little Phillip and Stephen Boone actually told her about De Vermis Mysteriis and its apocalyptic potential. Jakub explains to Loa that the book is a "key to a world of darkness" where vampires will be able to roam freely. When Jakub declares that humans will become livestock in this new world, Loa pushes back, asking about her siblings' fate. Still, she reminds Jakub of his promise to spare her family, but he makes it clear that his promise was only for that specific night. He states that the Promised and the vampires are Loa's family now, and she seems reluctant to agree. She asserts that her father will come for the book, but Jakub questions whether Charles would come to save her specifically if the book was not involved, attempting to push Loa further away from her family.
Later, Loa feeds on the Promised’s unnamed leader, who seems particularly hostile towards her. Their conversation makes Loa pause and realize more about her new life. While Loa has fed on humans before, the act usually was in self defense or in defense of a family member. In this case, Loa is feeding on a willing victim, and she is clearly nervous about the act. The unnamed Promised leader also refused to bow down to Loa at first when commanded by Jakub, and she seems resentful of Loa's elevated position within Jerusalem's Lot. The unnamed leader vaguely threatens Loa, declaring that the unnamed leader will soon be a vampire and able to feed as well.
After the feeding is done, the unnamed leader begins to draw comparisons between herself and Loa. The unnamed leader explains that she wants to become a vampire to get revenge on everyone that has wronged her, and she recognizes a similar anger in Loa. Loa is visibly unnerved by the comparison, especially since her own decision to become a vampire was in part a rash decision to try to hurt her father. When Loa later is ordered by Jakub to let the unnamed leader feed upon her to become a vampire, Loa's reluctance is still clearly on display.
Loa's allegiances are still shaky at best. As she watches Jakub’s preparations for the coming battle with Charles Boone and his allies, she seems reluctant to participate, and appears to be questioning her decisions so far. Her concern, particularly for her siblings, shows that she still retains her humanity despite her transformation into a vampire. Whether that remaining humanity will lead her to change her alliances once more as the show gears up for its final showdown between the Boone family, their allies, the vampires and the worm, remains to be seen.
To see if Loa's allegiances shift again, the series finale of Chapelwaite airs next Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on EPIX.
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